Some curiosities of the octopus

The octopuses come from the family of cephalopods, which are invertebrate mollusks with voluminous heads, have tentacles and have the ability to blend in with the environment. It is worth noting some of the curiosities of the octopus that are still impressive.

In marine life there are more than 300 known species of octopuses. They are differentiated by their appearance, size and customs. Some species are able to live more than 4,000 meters deep; others are very good at the open sea, even in defense of predators.

The cephalopods are characterized by their protection techniques when attacking or retaining their prey. First, they are able to reproduce their environment through advanced camouflage techniques; in the case of octopuses, they can even imitate other animals like the marine snakes.

Along with this ability to mimic squid, octopus has another important defense and attack tool: The octopuses have a thick ink sack, which they usually expel in the face of any type of risk.

The octopus is an invertebrate that It has eight tentacles, where it houses up to 40 million chemical receptors; it is these receptors that allow you the sense of taste and smell. Its mouth is a beak similar to that of the parrot, which also serves to move material during the manufacture of its shelter.

Lacking bones, the octopuses use their muscles to give rigidity to the body: it contracts them and relaxes them. A peculiarity that attracts a lot of attention is its ability to get into any space; his body is malleable and, therefore, can hide in very narrow crevices.

Octopuses inhabit mainly salty and warm waters. However, larger specimens have been seen in cold waters. They are carnivorous by nature and feed on fish, crustaceans and even algae; in many cases they use their tentacles as a decoy to attract their prey. They also use them skillfully, to open clams or shells.

They have three hearts. Two of the hearts serve to pump blood to the gills, while the third makes it to the rest of the body.

His blood is blue. Instead of hemoglobin, octopuses use hemocyanin to oxygenate the blood. The high copper content of this protein, gives a bluish appearance to the blood.

They are poisonous To a greater or lesser degree, octopuses have toxins that can be irritating to the skin and mucous membranes. The poison they use has the ability to paralyze their prey, to then get hold of it. However, only in the case of the blue-ringed octopus this toxin has an effect on man.

They have a high degree of cognition. Octopuses are recognized for their intelligence. In some circumstances they have been compared with dolphins, who are recognized for their ability to learn.

It has been shown that they are able to learn by means of positive stimuli and negative. In addition, they have the ability to remember sensations to avoid the same situation.

Survival and consciousness

They apply survival techniques. As part of their defense strategies, the octopus is an expert in imitating more than 15 species of marine animals. Among them, many of the most poisonous, which avoids the interest of predators.

Another curiosity is that, for its survival, the octopus is able to amputate a tentacle as an escape method. The tentacles of octopi can regenerate; They can recognize their lost limb and differentiate it from other species.

They have self-awareness. The octopus is part of 'The Declaration of Cambrigde on the conscience' on the conscience ', a manifesto that makes a list of animals that have consciousness about themselves. This ability is achieved by the octopus thanks to the secretion of serotonin, a hormone related to mood.

They are incapable of becoming entangled. In its tentacles, octopuses have a substance that prevents their limbs from becoming entangled. Through them, He has the ability to walk, swim and grab. To achieve movement, they use stereotyped patterns that allow them to self-control their bodies.

The octopuses are colorblind. They can not differentiate the nuances of reds and, sometimes, neither between green and blue.